Screenshots of TikTok users dancing and singing along to “Harbu Darbu.”
@noam_ziv3/TikTok; sapirmichaeli)/TikTok
A pro-war song is taking off in Israel, topping the charts and going viral on TikTok.The song shows support for the IDF and glorifies the bombing of Gaza.It also lists perceived enemies, which includes Hezbollah’s leader and Bella Hadid.
A pro-war song is surging in popularity in Israel, dominating the music charts and going viral on TikTok.
Despite the upbeat videos of Gen-Z Israelis dancing to it, the lyrics to “Harbu Darbu” are dark, violent, and unashamedly in favor of the ongoing war against Hamas.
“Harbu Darbu,” which roughly means war strike or mayhem, glorifies the Israel Defense Force’s military campaign in Gaza.
It also calls for retribution against a list of perceived enemies, including Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, and Mia Khalifa.
Israeli hip-hop duo Ness and Stilla released the song five weeks after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which Israeli officials say killed more than 1,200 people.
It quickly picked up popularity, reaching the top spot in Israel’s Mako chart, which covers streaming platforms and radio plays.
Ness and Still told Israeli media they wrote it to channel righteous anger in Israel, instead of sadness and grief.
More than 17,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel’s retaliation to the October 7 attacks began, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
For many Israeli Gen Zs, the hawkish song struck a chord, particularly for those on TikTok.
More than 11,000 videos are using the sound, with the top video, posted by Ness, accumulating more than 11 million views and 135,000 likes as of December 12.
Videos show Israeli celebrities, soldiers, and young TikTokers lipsyncing, dancing, and in some cases cooking to the song.
The lyrics unabashedly support the war, the IDF, and Israel’s policy of trying to obliterate Hamas.
One lyric roughly translates as: “We have brought the whole army against you and we swear there will be no forgiveness”
Another warns to “get your ass ready” for the Israeli Air Force, with the lyrics also saying that the names of kids killed on October 7 would be written on shells.
“Wait until we rain a storm on you, bitches,” one lyric roughly translates.
The song concludes by listing enemies it says deserve retribution, including the leader of Hezbollah, a Hamas commander, along with Hadid, Lipa, and Khalifa — celebrities who have spoken out against Israel’s actions.
“Every dog will get its day,” the lyrics say of the people listed.
Khalifa, a Lebanese-American media personality who has been particularly vocal online in her anti-Israel views, made light of the reference in an X post.
She wrote: “Y’all that song calling for the IDF to kill me, Bella, and Dua is over a DRILL beat, they can’t even call for genocide in their own culture, they had to colonize something to get it to #1.”
Stilla responded by calling Khalifa an idiot. According to Ynet, the Israeli media outlet, the duo said they were happy the song was “sparking” conversation around the world.
They added: “Everyone gets their due.”